Tomato

From Thomas Jefferson Encyclopedia

Jefferson first mentions tomatoes in Query VI of his Notes on the State of Virginia: "The gardens yield muskmelons, watermelons, tomatas, okra, pomegranates, figs, and the esculent plants of Europe." [1] One of our research historians notes that "Jefferson does not single out tomatoes as unusual objects in Virginia gardens, and in other parts of the country, the fruit was also available."[2] He recorded planting tomatoes all of the years that he kept his Garden Book Kalendar (1809-1824), and included them in his chart of vegetables sold in the markets in Washington, D.C.[3] Tomatoes commonly appear in the Jefferson family recipe collections.

Jefferson himself never mentioned the belief by some that tomatoes were poisonous. There is a story that, on a visit to Lynchburg, he terrified one of the locals when he paused to snack on a tomato on the steps of the Miller-Claytor house;[4] our researchers have found no proof that this incident ever happened.